Holiday Weekend Trip to California River Turns Tragic

A Memorial Day weekend trip with family and friends to California's Sequoia National Park took a devastating turn May 25 when a woman entered the Kaweah River to save her sister—and was herself swept away. It was during "the first dip of the day" that Jomarie Calasanz's older sister Joanne entered "deceivingly calm waters" and started to get swept away, Joanne writes in a GoFundMe campaign. Jomarie, a strong swimmer, immediately started heading for her older sister, Joanne writes. But the current was too strong, and both were carried off. The river "released" Joanne, she says, but Jomarie vanished. Her family presumes the 26-year-old is dead.

With conditions at the river becoming increasingly unsafe, search efforts have been scaled back, the Los Angeles Times reports. "What was supposed to be a fun, bonding moment very quickly turned into a traumatic event," Joanne writes in the GoFundMe, adding that her sister was a "hero" in her final moments. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, rivers in the national park can appear "deceptively calm," hiding strong undercurrents. Frigid temperatures can add to the danger. "Once you fall in, getting out is nearly impossible," the national park service warns. Drowning is the leading cause of death in Sequoia. (More California stories.)